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Karen Bass — L.A. Mayoral Candidate

October 24, 2022 By Mike Rinder 30 Comments

Scientology has become a key issue in the LA Mayoral race between Karen Bass and Rick Caruso. Of course, scientology is freaking out as their "good name" (haha) is being used to smear opponents. It stems from Karen Bass' ill-advised participation in a 2010 ribbon cutting ceremony for the "new" LA Org building (the building was not new of course, just refurbished). This came up two years ago when Rep. Bass was touted as a possible VP candidate to join the Biden ticket. I have some relevant information on this matter, both from my time in scientology and subsequent to this becoming an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Public Relations Tagged With: A Billion Years, Charlie Rangel, Going Clear, Karen Bass, LA Mayoral race, Leah Remini, Mayor of Buffalo, Mayor of Sacramento, Mayor of San Francisco, Rick Caruso, The Aftermath

Elisabeth Moss: Scientology PR 101

May 4, 2022 By Mike Rinder 19 Comments

  The recent New Yorker article piece by Michael Shulman has resulted in a ton of media pickups, mostly focused on her responses to questions about scientology. There have been a number of takes on this of interest: Martha Ross wrote an excellent piece in the SJ Mercury News     Martha quotes journalist Yashar Ali who tweeted:   And Tony Ortega added some thoughts from Geoff Levin who was extensively interviewed for the story, but little of it made it into print: Now, let me add some of my thoughts, as it was my job back in the day to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Celebrities Tagged With: Elisabeth Moss, Gay Ribisi, Giovanni Ribisi, Handmaid's Tale, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Leah Remini, Martha Ross, San Jose Mercury News, The Aftermath, Tom Cruise, Tony Ortega, Yashar Ali

Episode 77: Jefferson Hawkins

February 14, 2022 By Mike Rinder 14 Comments

We are joined by Jeff Hawkins, an extremely talented, thoughtful and articulate former Sea Org member to recount his experiences with David Miscavige, his role in making Dianetics a bestseller again the 80's and his journey into and out of scientology. He is the author of 3 books on the subject.   Jeff's brilliant book Counterfeit Dreams     Leaving Scientology     Closing Minds     The Sociopath Next Door   One of the famous Dianetics "Question" ads from 1980's that Jeff created, returning … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fair Game Podcast Tagged With: A History of Violence, AC 360, Anderson Cooper, Closing Minds, Counterfeit Dreams, Dianetics ad, Fair Game Podcast, jeff hawkins, Leah Remini, Leaving Scientology, Martha Stoutt, Mike Rinder, Skyhawk Studios, The Aftermath, The Sociopath Next Door

The Big Lie: “They Incited Murder”

November 24, 2021 By Mike Rinder 22 Comments

  Yesterday, Tony Ortega reported the news out of Australia concerning the perpetrator of the tragic murder at the Advanced Organization in Sydney.   Stefani Hutchinson weighed in with her always cogent and fact driven take on things like this, I recommend reading her blog on the subject.     While there is much to be said about what happened, the tragic circumstances, the scientology refusal to acknowledge real mental illness and other things, there is a singular point I want to make. Scientology seized on this tragedy to make baseless and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fair Game, Special Feature Tagged With: A & E, Confront and Shatter, David Miscavige, Freedom Media Ethics, Karin Pouw, Paul Buccieri, Stefani Hutchinson, The Aftermath, Tony Ortega

Episode 64 : Tory “Magoo” Christman

November 1, 2021 By Mike Rinder 35 Comments

One of the long term scientology whistleblowers joins us this week, Tory "Magoo" Christman. Her story covers the gamut -- OSA dirty tricks, disconnection, the Lisa McPherson Trust, being Fair Gamed and a whole lot more. It is one of those episodes that might have continued for many hours. She is such a bright, smart and kind person, especially in light of all she has been through. Such a wonderful lady, we thoroughly enjoyed talking with her. Tory is all over social media. Follow her and connect: Tory on Facebook Tory on Twitter Tory on Instagram Tory's YouTube … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fair Game Podcast Tagged With: 6 month check, Andreas Heldal-Lund, Fair Game Podcast, Gabe Cazares, HCO Bring Order, Leah Remini, Mary Tabayoyan, Mike Rinder, Narconon, Paul Christman, Penny Atwell-Jones, The Aftermath, Tory Christman

Episode 62: The Aftermath OG Amy Scobee

October 18, 2021 By Mike Rinder 65 Comments

  This week we welcome our dear friend Amy Scobee to talk about scientology and celebrities. Amy was in charge of scientology Celebrity Centres for many years. She has a lot of personal experience about how scientology treats its biggest celebrities.  She was also the catalyst for The Aftermath when she reached out with the story of her mother, Bonnie. They were featured in the first episode. There's a lot of ground to cover... Note: Some have asked what OG means -- OG is a slang term for someone who's incredibly exceptional, authentic, or “old-school,” someone or something that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fair Game Podcast Tagged With: Abuse at The Top, Amy Scobee, Billy Sheehan, celebrities, Celebrity Centre, Dave Pettit, Isaac Hayes, Leah Remini, Mat Pesch, Mike Rinder, The Aftermath, Tommy Davis

Episode 32: Aftermath Executive Producer Aaron Saidman

March 15, 2021 By Mike Rinder 42 Comments

  On this week's episode, we talk to Aaron Saidman, co-founder of production company (IPC) that was brave enough to bring The Aftermath to air. Tune in for some behind-the-scenes insight into the making of the program, how it came about, the impact it had and how the people involved dealt with scientology and their Fair Game.     … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Aaron Saidman, Fair Game Podcast, Leah Remini, Mike Rinder, The Aftermath

An Open Letter to Church of Scientology by Mark Fladd

December 31, 2020 By Mike Rinder 32 Comments

  Mark Fladd appeared with his wife, Stephanie, on an episode of The Aftermath. They told part of their experiences with Orange County org. Good people, chewed up and spit out by the relentless money-grubbing. Of course, instead of making things right with them, scientology sought to smear them. Mark wanted to clarify some things and I am happy to have this forum available for him to do so.   Open Letter to Church of Scientology Clarifications and an update for the Public Record By Mark Fladd, ex-Scientologist | Riverside County, California | 2020   Introduction The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fundraising, The Aftermath Tagged With: Adam Whitworth, AOLA, Aryana Dangberg, Cathy Moore, David Miscavige, fundraising, irs, Karin Pouw, Leah Remini, Mark Fladd, Mike Rinder, Orange county org, Scientology The Aftermath, SRD, Stephanie Fladd, The Aftermath

Blog Problems — Update

December 5, 2020 By CW Guy 9 Comments

  As you may have noticed, there have been some issues in the last couple of days with the blog. They may continue for a bit while things are sorted out. Please have patience. Taking the lead from Miscavige, I declare this to be a cyberspace bullbait. Here is what I know. While the number of visits to this site has increased steadily following the Netflix airings of The Aftermath it did not create an issue until a few days ago when things started to ramp up with bots putting a lot of demand on the site, and then seeking to login (none succeeded). This is not uncommon in the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Aftermath Tagged With: blog, David Miscavige, Netflix, Saldarriaga, The Aftermath, Tony Ortega

Scientology’s Tax Exemption

November 28, 2020 By Mike Rinder 35 Comments

I happened to pull up this posting from April 2015 and in re-reading it I thought it important enough to repost here today. With The Aftermath on Netflix, many new people are being exposed to the horrifying truth about scientology for the first time. And many have the same question as those who have been in the know for some time. How is it that scientology can be tax exempt? This is a pretty good essay that explains in some detail why it should NOT. And it addresses a bit why it hasn’t changed. Unfortunately, with a conservative majority now firmly entrenched in the US Supreme Court, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tax Exemption Tagged With: 501(c)3, Amish, Catholic church, Constitution, David Miscavige, irs, Jehovah's Witnesses, Netflix, public policy, Tax Exemption, The Aftermath, Tom Cruise, US Supreme Court

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Important Reading

Troublemaker - Leah Remini
Ruthless - Ron Miscavige
Going Clear - Lawrence Wright
Bare Faced Messiah - Russell Miller
Counterfeit Dreams - Jeff Hawkins
Blown For Good - Marc Headley
Abuse at the Top - Amy Scobee
Unbreakable Miss Lovely - Tony Ortega
The Church of Fear - John Sweeney
Fair Game - Steve Cannane
Inside Scientology - Janet Reitman
A Piece of Blue Sky - Jon Atack
Beyond Belief - Jenna Miscavige
My Billion Year Contract
Escaping Scientology - Karen Schless
Commodore's Messenger - Janis Grady
Commodore's Messenger - Book II
Scythe Tleppo - Nathan Rich
Expert Witness - Jesse Prince
Perfectly Clear - Michelle LeCaire
Ron the War Hero - Chris Owen
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